Situation Normal
by an ugly duckling
Summary: Chuck only nodded and then the Vanderbilt grandparents entered and Nate downed the whiskey before he went over to greet them, straight shoulders and polite smile and Dauphin and all." - set before Season 1


A/N: Set about six weeks after Serena's departure. Rated T for profanity.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own "Gossip Girl". If I did, Nate would move in with Chuck and they would be called Ernie and Bert.

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**Situation Normal. All Fucked Up.**

"Bass! Checking out the competition?"

Chuck turned around and looked at the blond boy that had called his name. He knew him and he knew his father owned the place, but he couldn't remember the name to save his life.

"You're a freshman, right?"

"I'm Frederick du Pont. My father" – a dramatic pause – "is the hotel manager."

Chuck remembered he didn't like him.

"Right. Tell him I said Hi." He nodded and smiled at the concierge, but Frederick wasn't done yet: "I'm not sure he'll bother to get acquainted with an upstart."

Sighing, Chuck turned around again and flashed his teeth at the boy. "What a shame. I guess I'll just stick to mingling with the people who pay your father's salary." And without further comment, he said to the concierge: "I'm here for the Vanderbilt dinner."

Sometimes, Chuck Bass loved smugness.

Ten minutes later he was standing in the foyer of the Versailles suite, sipping Champagne and talking to one of his father's friends, the CEO of yet another real estate company, when his ears made out a familiar voice and he looked up to see a set of searching blue eyes scanning the room.

"Excuse me, sir." Placing his glass on a sideboard, he entered the main room and made his way through the subdued conversations until he stood directly behind his friend, who was now listening to the words of his testy mother.

"… and I will see about that later. They will be here any minute and I have to find your father now." Her eyes met Chuck's and she pursed her lips. "Charles. How lovely of you to be joining us."

Chuck said "It's an honor to be invited, Mrs. Archibald", and he could see the genuine smile that was appearing on his friend's face. Anne Archibald cleared her throat, hissed "Stand up straight!" at her son and disappeared into the crowd of nobility.

"Nathaniel, I must say…" Chuck's gaze wandered along the curtains and walls. "… at first I was put off by the idea of celebrating your family dinner in the Carlyle's suite and not at the Palace, but it looks tremendous."

"Oh, shut up and stop talking like my uncle." Nate placed his right hand on Chuck's shoulder. "I'm so glad you came, man, it's killing me. I don't even have Blair to distract these hyenas from me."

"Or Serena", Chuck added flippantly, after all it was always BlairNateSerena.

"Yeah, I really don't want to talk about Serena right now." Nate let his hand slide off Chuck's shoulder and left for the bar and Chuck wondered for the umpteenth time since the resident It-Girl had skipped town when Nate would tell him about the incident at the Shepherd Wedding.

He watched Howard Archibald ending some conversation on the phone and Anne Archibald, wearing the family ring, was staring at him with exasperation and then Nate came back and handed him a cold glass with lots of ice. "I'm serious, Chuck, it's killing me."

Chuck only nodded and then the Vanderbilt grandparents entered and Nate downed the whiskey before he went over to greet them, straight shoulders and polite smile and Dauphin and all.

Mr. Vanderbilt, Anne's father, was a tall man with white sideburns. Chuck remembered seeing a picture a few years ago and telling Nate that his grandfather looked like the man on the honorary portraits on the wall of The Met. Nate had only responded that that man was his grandfather's grandfather and then he had killed Chuck with a well-placed flick of his sword and the video game had been over.

Now, Nate was shaking his grandfather's hand and answering some questions (school, college, sports). He was all smiles and charm, and Chuck was pretty darn sure he was the only one who could see him trembling beneath the pressure of his mother's glare and his father's pretentious comments and being sized up by his grandparent's stare, and he had to resist the urge to run over and explain to them, that Nate was his only friend, the only one who had always stuck up for him, and that they had no right to judge him.

Anne's mother was a petite woman with blue blood running through her veins. She gave Nate a small peck on the cheek and didn't smile. Chuck thought she looked like a praying mantis.

During the dinner, he had no chance of talking to Nate, so he watched the Vanderbilt-Archibald-family sipping their Champagne and tasting the Truffle Risotto, Anne always apprehensive about the general contentment and Howard saying something about "Dartmouth" that made Nate put down his silverware and stare at the Captain until Anne shot an angry glare at him.

Finally, at 9 o'clock, they got up and Nate was by his side instantly, not saying a word but staring at the floor and heaving a sigh. Just when Chuck considered suggesting a walk outside, Mrs. Vanderbilt made her way towards them. Chuck kicked Nate, who snapped out of his thoughts immediately and put on his trademark smile.

"Nathaniel, you have yet to introduce me to your friend." Her gray eyes darted from Chuck to her grandson, who nodded and placed his hand on Chuck's back. "Chuck, I'd like you to meet my grandmother, Adelaide Vanderbilt. Ma'am, this…"

It took Chuck only a heartbeat to disregard all etiquette: His father was Bartholomew Bass and in all honesty, he didn't have a damn about Nate's grandmother who let her grandson call her "Ma'am".

He stepped forward, put forth his hand and said: "I'm Chuck Bass."

Adelaide Vanderbilt stared at him, gave Nate an indignant glare and nodded curtly before turning around and going back to her husband. Chuck let his hand sink and looked at Nate, who seemed to be torn between mortal fear and a fit of laughter. "I'm so dead, I hope you know that. And you'll never be invited to anything ever again. And I'll never hear the end of this. They'll probably disown me."

Chuck blinked. "Then I guess I'll have the room service get clean sheets for my couch, Nathaniel."

Later, when they were outside and smoking, Nate slid down the wall and rested his head against his knees. Chuck wasn't sure how to react, so he lit another cigarette and said: "I know, man."

It would always be like this and even though he could deal with it, maybe Nate couldn't, maybe Nate would drown. Being nouveau-riche and an upstart had its benefits, he had learned how to swim. He might not have impressed Nate's grandmother (and he was still a bit bewildered), but neither had Nate, and even though Chuck didn't want to see it, he understood that it was a thousand times worse.

So he sat down next to his best friend (who was in love with Serena, who was missing Blair, who didn't want to go to Dartmouth, who called him, Chuck Bass, of all people, his best friend, who loved his fucking family) and tried to make a joke, but Nate only said: "I can't breathe", so Chuck decided it was time to call his chauffeur and to get Nate to the Palace.

In the limo, city lights shining in the sky, Chuck told Nate it was going to be alright and Nate nodded and rested his head against the cool window and said he wanted to disappear. Chuck, feeling as if the red light he had seen only a few moments ago had just exploded in his brain, rolled his eyes and threw a cork at him, but Nate's smile didn't quite match his eyes.


End file.
